“Ancient Egyptians depended almost exclusively on Nile summer flooding brought by the summer monsoon in east Africa to grow their crops,” said Joseph Manning, lead author on the paper and professor of history and classics at Yale.

“In years influenced by volcanic eruptions, Nile flooding was generally diminished, leading to social stress that could trigger unrest and have other political and economic consequences.”

The authors hope to go on to look in more detail at the contemporary reports, to support their argument that the volcanic eruptions and the disruption that ensued could have been the reason the ancient Egyptian civilisation fell.

“The study is of particular importance for the current debate about climate change,” said Professor Manning.